


Rematch

by hataru



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Kira Wins, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Disabled Character, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Gender Roles, Major Character Undeath, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2020-02-28 04:16:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18748831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hataru/pseuds/hataru
Summary: They all believed the game was finally over. Kira was finally gone after so many victims had perished under his twisted view of justice― including the world’s best detective. But a certain shinigami believed it was far too early to end the game...It was only just beginning.





	1. Dear Friend

**Author's Note:**

> 12/28/19 – hello, it’s been a while since i’ve updated this story, but i’m going through a rough block which i’m trying to get over by rewriting a few old works and trying out new writing styles. this is the rewritten version of Rematch, i hope you enjoy!
> 
> warning(s): alternate universe, deus ex machina, older woman/younger man, underaged, nsfw, major character death, toxic relationships, etc. tags will be added as the story progresses.

Something thick and warm slid down the corner of her lips, coating her tongue with the taste of pennies. She reached up with trembling fingers to wipe it up, fingertips coming away coated in red. A cough built up in her chest – sounding wet and sickly – and more blood came forth, doing nothing to ease the ache in her ribs. A hum came from somewhere in the room, her resigned gaze meeting yellow sclera and a mouth full of razors. The creature’s ebody wings slowly worked with powerful flaps, effortlessly keeping its body in the air while her crumpled body lay against the wall. 

 

“Elaine Walter.” It spoke, voice raspy and otherworldly, while holding a book with a black cover in its clawed hands. Its head tilted, mouth stretching into an awful grin as its hair and spikes swayed with its movements. “Never thought I’d be the one to write your name down.” It admitted, humorous.

 

The blonde allowed her lips to curl into their own smile, nowhere near the creature’s grin and rather weak. “It’s nice to see you too, Ryuk.” Elaine spoke placidly, crimson seeping through the spaces of the fingers clutched over her ribs. 

 

Another laugh – this one loud and wholehearted – left the shinigami. “Fun until the end, huh, Elaine?” Ryuk cackled, flipping through the worn pages of his infamous Death Note. 

 

Despite taking in the sight of him taking out his pen and selecting the perfect space to write her name in, Elaine felt nothing but disappointment. No fear, no sadness– only unadulterated _disappointment_. She was always a sore loser, after all. The tip of the pen ghosted over the blank page, hesitating, and Ryuk’s seemingly blind eyes stared into her blue ones.

 

“Such a shame you got taken out of the game so quickly… And by such an unforeseen circumstance, too.” He continued, his voice taking a remorseful and irritated tone, gaze drifting to her wounded middle.

 

Elaine shrugged her shoulders with mild difficulty, feeling her extremities begin to grow cold. “I became too trusting– naive. I had it coming.” She said in reply, a soft sigh slipping past her bloody lips as she took in the bloody trail she’d left in her hurry to escape. “I just wish I’d lasted longer.”

 

Ryuk hummed thoughtfully and snapped the book closed. The sudden noise made her look at him and raise a blonde eyebrow. The shinigami’s wings folded and he set his feet on the ground before falling into a crouch by her side. “Y’know, Elaine,” He began, sounding just a tad saddened, “I liked you far more than any of the others. You were an enigma.” Ryuk admitted, clawed fingers fiddling with the hardcover of his note.

 

After a moment of silence, of thinking what could have been, the woman reached out with a paling hand covered in red and placed it on his knee. “I liked you, too, Ryuk.” Elaine said, quietly. “You were fun.” 

 

His black lips pressed together, drawing downwards into an uncharacteristic frown. His large hand covered hers, claws curling carefully around her delicate palm. A low laugh bubbled from his throat, sounding forced and so terribly sad. “Never thought I’d care so much for a human.” Ryuk commented, coming to the realization a moment too late. “Friends, huh?”

 

“My dearest friend.” Elaine hummed with a small grin full of pink teeth, just barely tightening her fingers around his in a comforting squeeze as her eyelids grew heavy. They sat in silence for a while, reminiscing as his thumb drew small circles on the back of her cold hand. It was disrupted, however, when Ryuk let go of her hand in search for something.

 

“Hey, Elaine?” 

 

“Hm?” She opened her eyes, not recalling when they’d fallen closed. Ryuk presented her an apple, its color the darkest she’d seen rather than the vivid red it should be. Her hazy eyes focused on the fruit, blonde eyebrows knitting together in confusion. 

 

A grin stretched over Ryuk’s obsidian lips. “This is the game changer.” He began his explanation. “I was planning on giving it to someone else, but I think you deserve it _way_ more than he does.” The shinigami chuckled humorously, placing the apple in her hand.

 

“Ryuk…” The woman whispered his name, shocked. “What–” Her words were interrupted by a harsh cough that made blood dribble down her chin. 

 

His smile faltered ever so slightly, “You might want to hurry, unless you want someone else to write your name down.” Ryuk urged her, using his hands to guide her own to her lips.

 

“Aw,” Elaine cooed, unable to help herself, “You… want me to live, R-Ryuk?” She teased despite the struggle, mouth tasting an awful lot like copper as her throat was coated in blood. 

 

An annoyed huff came from him, “Eat it, human.”

 

Summoning the last of her withering strength, Elaine brought the apple to her lips and took a bite, its sour juices mixing with the blood on her chin. She felt awfully pathetic when she struggled to chew and swallow it down. “What… now?” She breathed, leaning against the wall more comfortably, half eaten apple laying on her lap.

 

Ryuk reached up and ruffled her dirty, tangled blonde locks. “See ya on the other side, Elaine.” He chuckled softly. 

 

“See… you–” Her eyelids slid shut, lips struggling to form words as her consciousness slowly ebbed away. A new weight, light yet heavier than the apple was added to her lap and a pair of lips – soft and inhumanly cold – pressed themselves against her forehead along with a murmur of good luck. 

 

Her breathing slowed and, eventually, came to a stop.

 

* * *

 

Air rushed into a healthy pair of lungs and she lurched forwards into a sitting position with a loud gasp. Cold sweat slid down her skin and her hands come up to press against her sternum to feel the strong and steady beat of her heart. 

 

She was _alive_. 

 

Elaine’s wide eyes darted around, taking in the familiar sight of her bedroom in her apartment. It was drenched in the darkness of the night, small rays of moonlight seeping through the curtains that swayed with the nightly breeze. Amazed, the blonde took her phone off the nightstand and unlocked it. The hour and date glared up at her.

 

1:28am. August 2nd, _seven years before her death_.

 

Something slid off her lap, prying her attention off her phone. Her eyes fell upon the back of a black book and she took it into her hand, slowly turning it. Ryuk’s Death Note stared back at her innocently. “What…?” Elaine breathed, flipping it open. All the names were there, the ones written by **him** and– and on the first page, one previously untouched, was a message. 

 

 **Up for a rematch, Elaine?**  

 

It was Ryuk’s handwriting, that was undeniable, but it was upon closer inspection that Elaine realized that the playful question had been written with a red substance. Her blood. She shouldn’t have found it as humorous as she did, but a grin curled at her lips nonetheless.

 

“Ryuk, you son of a bitch…” The woman whispered into the silence of the room, euphoria burning in her veins.

 

And she _laughed_. 


	2. Apples and Pomegranates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her lips curled subtly at the feeling of ebony feathers brushing against her shoulders, but instead of taking the Death Note with her, Elaine simply placed it on the bench next to the sidewalk. She was sure the entity looming over her would only pick it up just so he could toss it away again until some unfortunate soul decided to pick it up. The woman continued in her journey to the market.
> 
>  
> 
> She made sure to purchase apples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for the beginning of the chapter is Tranz by Gorillaz, very subtly hinted when damon albarn is mentioned.
> 
> enjoy!

Elaine Walter’s day began with the voice of Damon Albarn pouring through the speakers. The woman stepped into her bedroom, water dripping from her hair and down the expanse of her bare body. She situated herself in front of the large mirror, tilting her head as she gazed at her reflection. A wet lock stuck itself to her cheek and she pushed it behind her ear with a slender finger. Her blue eyes dragged over the reflection of her nude body. 

 

She wasn’t thirty-three anymore, Elaine thought to herself as she slid a hand down the right side of her body to press her fingers against her ribs. There was no wound and there was no scar– only the memory of a gunshot and terrible, terrible pain as blood flooded her lung. At the thought of the cause of her death, her hand trailed even lower to trace the scarred tissue on her hip. Her lips pressed together in a firm line and her eyes darkened ever so slightly before she pushed the memories of guns and knives to the very back of her mind.

 

A brief glance at the clock told her she’d slept three hours after she’d finished writing down the most important things that would happen in the next seven years. Despite that fact, she felt better than she had in almost a decade. She dried her hair and slipped on a casual attire – consisting of a white blouse, a red cardigan and jeans – with the heeled ankle boots she’d bought a year prior but had never worn because of her limp. 

 

Which was no more.

 

Whatever Ryuk had done, it fixed every problem so far. So, when she walked down the street without a problem, she felt like an entirely new person. There was no discomfort, no limp and no itch of clothing rubbing against the scar on her hip. Everything was brighter, louder, far more clear than it had ever been. It was like all her limitations had disappeared without a trace.

 

Elaine went on her way to the supermarket. She remembered that she would buy milk, eggs, Eggo’s and pomegranates. After a specific street light, the blonde started counting her steps. One, two, three, four, _five_ steps later, a black notebook fell at her feet. The pages, mostly blank, rolled until the hardcover snapped shut. The Death Note lay innocently on the sidewalk, looking exactly like the one hidden inside one of her drawers at the apartment.

 

Instead of leaving it be – just like her past self had done, far too occupied with fickle things such as domesticity and self loathing – Elaine picked it up with careful fingers and ran the pad of her thumb along its spine. She felt it then, a rush of coldness along her own spine along with the sound of a raspy chuckle, no louder than a whisper caught in the wind.

 

Her lips curled subtly at the feeling of ebony feathers brushing against her shoulders, but instead of taking it with her, Elaine simply placed it on the bench next to the sidewalk. She was sure the entity looming over her would only pick it up just so he could toss it away again until some unfortunate soul decided to pick it up. The woman continued in her journey to the market.

 

She made sure to purchase apples.

 

* * *

 

Ryuk chose to finally reveal himself to her after a couple of days. She had curled up on the sofa with a bowl of buttery popcorn on her lap while an American film played on the television. He hovered next to her, his large stature hovering ominously over the armrest. Elaine showed no signs of being startled, blue eyes glinting instead with amusement as she placed another small handful of popcorn into her mouth.

 

The shinigami grinned, a smile so familiar yet so different from the one she was used to. For one, his mannerisms and grins weren’t quite as genuine or warm as the Ryuk from seven years into the future. This Ryuk also had his eyes, those red irises staring down at her smaller from dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. 

 

A chuckle slipped past a mouth full of razors, a thin finger tipped with a long claw pointing in the direction of the dining table. “Mind if I take an apple?” Ryuk enquired, humorous.

 

The corners of her lips curled in amusement and she arched an eyebrow, tilting her head. “I don’t know, can you?” Elaine shot back, acquiring the same tone.

 

“Ah!” Ryuk voiced in surprise before throwing his head back with a loud laugh. “What a strange reaction! You’re interesting.” He said, his grin widening into something more genuine before moved to take a few apples from the wooden bowl. 

 

The blonde turned her attention back to the movie, munching on another handful of popcorn just as the girl on screen let out a scream when she was dragged out from under the bed by a large man. Ryuk plopped down next to Elaine, wings folded and arms full of apples. He tossed one into his mouth, core and all, and hummed contently at their taste.

 

“What are we watching?” Ryuk asked curiously after swallowing. 

 

Without looking away from the images on screen, Elaine replied, “ _Taken_. It’s an American movie. An ex government agent’s daughter and her friend get kidnapped during their trip to Paris, the father goes looking for them.” She glanced at him briefly. “You’re lucky, it just started.” The woman added. 

 

Ryuk bobbed his head, munching on what may or may not be his fourth apple and set his crimson eyes on the tv. After a while, those eyes trailed up to the spot above her head and Ryuk’s ebony lips twitched. She noticed, but said nothing of it. If it was important, Ryuk would imply it.

 

Memories or no.

 

* * *

 

The shinigami visited more often than not as the days went on. He would fly in, eat the apples she purchased for him, follow her around the apartment and sit down to watch movies with her. He also asked simple, curious questions that she had no problem answering. Ryuk had finally formally introduced himself as well, along with stating the name of his species.

 

“I thought so.” Elaine had said in reply, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I’ve been reading.” It wasn’t a lie, more so of a half truth. Her past self had spent long hours reading about folklore and fantasy novels. Ryuk laughed. 

 

And their days went by like so, with Ryuk flying in and out, leaving to do whatever it was that he did during daylight. Today in particular, Elaine decided to head out earlier than usual to visit the nice café that had recently opened close to the apartment. 

 

A mistake from her part.

 

She should’ve stuck to schedule, she reprimanded herself when her eyes landed on _him_. He was as pretty as she remembered, brown hair catching the sunlight as his eyes boredly scanned over the printed words on his book, his bag casually slung over his shoulder. He walked at a leisure pace, careful not to trip or bump into anyone on the sidewalk.

 

It wasn’t his appearance that made her fingers curl tighter around the cup of coffee, but the dark figure that waved at her from his spot over the brunet’s shoulder. Elaine clicked her tongue and turned on her heels in the direction of her apartment, vaguely hearing Ryuk call out his greetings. She felt Light’s eyes burning holes into the back of her head and sighed in frustration. 

 

He’d seen her. 

 

But she couldn’t help the way her heart started beating faster in both excitement and unease. Light could clearly see and hear Ryuk, which meant one thing and one thing only. Yagami Light had taken a hold on the Death Note a whole _month_ before he was meant to. Elaine could lie and say that the thought didn’t give her goosebumps. 

 

It’s a day after their accidental encounter that it begins. Criminals dropping like flies, the cause of death being the iconic, inexplicable heart attacks. Light starts following her, too. Ryuk’s loud voice and frantic waving gave him away, but she would had spotted him regardless. The boy should have left the shinigami behind if he wanted to be subtle. Someone needed to give him a stealth class, lest the whole thing came to an end before it even began.

 

Finally, on the fifth day, she confronted him. They were in front of the apartment complex and she turned to face him, sighing deeply with her keys in hand. “Can I help you?” Elaine asked, exasperated.

 

Ryuk wiggled his clawed fingers at her from over Light’s shoulder. Elaine merely stared back and crossed her arms under her chest. Light smiled at her prettily, the picture of innocence as he curled his fingers around the strap of his bag and stared at her foreign features in something akin to wonder.

 

“Yes, actually.” The teenager replied happily, face brightening with the plastic smile plastered on his lips. “I’m not from this area and I’m a little lost, I was wondering if you could–”

 

“No.” Elaine cut him off automatically, eyebrows drawn together and lips pursed. She knew exactly where this was going. “You have a phone don’t you? Use your GPS.” She told him, feeling victorious when his smile faltered and his expression twisted in annoyance. Ryuk tossed his head back and cackled as she walked into the building, leaving the enraged boy on the sidewalk. 

 

Two days later, it’s him who confronts her. He was standing in front of her building, a cup of iced lemon tea in his hand, when she arrived. Ryuk greeted her with as much enthusiasm as always and Light gave her one of his pretty boy smiles, his eyes narrowed slightly. Cute, she supposed. 

 

Elaine held a paper bag in her arms, filled with apples and pomegranates along with a container of parsley she needed to make chimichurri sauce. She was getting hungry and the two stooges in front of her were in her way. 

 

“What?” The woman sighed. 

 

“We need to talk.” Light stated rather than asked. He was over pleasantries, it seemed.

 

The blonde touched her tongue to the inside of her cheek, annoyed. She was _this_ close to throwing the plan away and writing Light’s name in the Death Note– gods of the new world be damned. Damn, she’d forgotten how much of a fucking brat he was. 

 

“No.” She repeated, just like last time, and didn’t back down. Elaine made a move to enter the building and was blocked one, two, _three_ times before she nearly screamed in frustration and Ryuk laughed wholeheartedly. 

 

“I _insist_.” Light hissed through a smile barring far too much teeth to be considered friendly, dimples not showing on his cheeks.

 

Elaine stared at him, trying to quell the anger brewing in her chest. “You’re such a spoiled little brat.” She huffed after a tense moment, letting her tense shoulders relax. It was a month too early, but she could make due. “Fine. Hope you like skirt steak.” The blonde woman grumbled, keys in hand as she walked towards the building. 

 

He kept up with her and let out a pleased noise in the back of his throat, something she found disgustingly attractive. “I do.” Light replied, as if basking in her annoyance. A true brat through and through. 

 

The woman bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything she shouldn’t. _This_ Light is a bratty seventeen year old who’s always been praised and isn’t used to being told no. _She_ is a woman in her prime, thirty-three– _twenty-five_ years old and eight years his senior with vast knowledge of the future. He’s defenseless without his little notebook and he doesn’t even know her name. 

 

She wins this round no matter what. 

 

A cold, clawed finger tapped her shoulder and red eyes peered into her paper bag. “Did you get more apples?” Ryuk asked, not unlike an impatient toddler or an addict searching for another hit of the good stuff. 

 

At this pace, she will have grey hairs by her thirties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chimichurri is an uncooked sauce made with parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil and red wine vinegar. it’s served at room temperature and it’s usually eaten with grilled meats such as skirt steak (the usual combo in puerto rico).
> 
> also the Taken trilogy’s really good and it hints heavily at elaine’s backstory.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> twitter: [@bakustark](https://twitter.com/bakustark?s=09)


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